The Failure of Prolonged Attempts to Protect Self-Esteem
In American education, there is a prevalent theory that children will be irretrievably damaged by letting them know that their efforts were inadequate to the task. Therefore, teachers jump through hoops to avoid saying, "that answer is wrong", instead focuing on the nearness of the answer to almost-not quite-kinda-sorta right. For this reason, the standards movement arose. Parents, employers, and colleges needed some way to differentiate between the B averages and straight As they were seeing on transcripts, and sort out those who, however beloved by friends, family, and God, just weren't up to the task. Then, miraculously, American Idol arrived. And the arch-villain Simon Cowell become meritocracy's new hero. Simon isn't as cruel as many would characterize him. He simply states the truth. Cowell's fame (or infamy) grew, fed by his deliberately insincere signature phrase, "I don't mean to be rude, but …", inevitably followed by an unsparing d...